I only own Seiko and the plot (as it takes place after the Narada Incident). Reviews and constructive criticism are appreciated, though flames will be ignored.

I apologize for taking so long to write this. I hope that this reprieve is well recieved.

Chapter Fourteen

Seiko was looking out the window on the bridge after dinner when she felt someone nudge her shoulder. Looking, she smiled when she saw Sulu holding out a mug of tea to her. "Hey, there. Have a nice dinner?" he asked, standing beside her with his own tea.

A smile tugged at her lips and she nodded. "It was lovely."

"Well, if it was so lovely, why are you here and not with him?" he asked, sipping.

She didn't answer right away, too dazed about what had happened and looking at the passing stars. The comfortable feeling she'd had around Spock was replaced with anxiety the moment she stepped onto the bridge and looked into space. They were always getting closer to Earth and to things that she didn't want to deal with.

"Jim came in," she said with a laugh and shook her head.

"That's not enough of a story, and you know it."

Seiko laughed again and Sulu tugged her to the Comm, sitting her down in Chekov's seat, leaning back into his own. She took a sip of her tea before she launched into an explanation, reviewing it herself.

Spock cleared his throat after the silence between them. Neither had said a word after the kiss and Seiko was sure that he wanted to forget it. She was about to take a sip of her wine when he stopped her, his hand warm and his fingers wrapping around hers.

"Seiko. I'm sorry if that was selfish of me. I shouldn't have done that to you, after everything that we've talked about," he said, his eyes glistening with slight panic. As she looked at him, she began to wonder.

"It's alright."

"No, it's not. I shouldn't have forced you to leave the comet or say those things to you on the bridge. I was… angry, I think you could say. I was acting without thinking, something I do not do. I wanted to protect you from things that you weren't even involved in, and I over reacted. I am sorry."

'Oh. He's talking about that…,' Seiko thought as she pulled her hand away from his. The look in his eye made him seem like he was in pain while his exterior remained blank. She laughed slightly and ran her fingers through her hair, sitting back in her seat and looking up at the ceiling.

"Spock, you're a jerk," she said. "Plain and simple. I don't know what the hell I did to you to make you act that way or make you think you couldn't tell me what was going on with this whole Malory family thing, but you are definitely going about it the wrong way."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you should have told me everything immediately. I'm seventeen for gods' sake, not five. I'm an intellectual underneath all this emotion, you know. I can handle it."

They were quite for a moment before Spock did something uncharacteristic. He sighed heavily and slumped back into his chair. Seiko raised an eyebrow and continued to watch him, wary of what such an action meant to him. When his eyes rose to hers, the panic was gone, only to be replaced by something she couldn't identify.

"I know. It was not my intention to treat you like a child -"

"But you did. Look, I've already made peace with the fact that when we get to Earth, I'll most likely be executed, thrown into jail at the very least. When you said that if I got out of this, you'd give me back to my parents. That fucking hurt."

"I'm sorry."

Seiko sighed and nodded, leaning against the table with her hands holding up her head. "Just promise me something, okay?"

"What would that be, Seiko?"

"If I get executed, don't give my body back to my parents."

The silence was deafening and Seiko knew that Spock was thinking it over. She wanted to remain free of her overbearing family in death if it came to it. There wasn't much that she knew about the Mari, but she couldn't be sure about what their form of punishment would be. Especially if Malory's father and brother were in it. Her brother could ask for blood, even if their father said he wasn't surprised by his daughter's actions. She just hoped that Spock could figure something out with her family before it became a major concern.

"It will not come to that. But if such a thing were to occur, I give you my word that you will not be given back to your parents," he said in a low voice before he stood up. She watched him go to the kitchen and bring back a small basket of bread. The Saffir. She'd forgotten.

"Thank you," she whispered as she took a piece and ripped a small chunk off. It was sweet and fluffy, exactly as she thought it would be. She smiled at Spock when he looked to her for her opinion. "It's wonderful."

"I'm pleased that you find it agreeable."

"You know, on Earth, when someone makes a big meal like this, it's more like a date than a simple get together between two people," she said in amusement. She knew the comment would make Spock uncomfortable, but she wanted to get the impending threat of her doom out of her mind. At least for now.

And he didn't disappoint. The tips of his ears turned a light shade of green and he cleared his throat. "I am aware of that, Seiko."

"Oh yeah? So you know that this looks like a date?"

"Then it is as I had planned," he mumbled.

Seiko stared at him, her mouth open slightly. He was looking at his wine for a while before she final got a grip on herself. "You said-"

"I said I was not asking for a relationship. I did not say, however, that I was not going to court you."

'That smug, sneaky bastard,' she thought as she felt the heat rush to her face and turned away to drink more of her wine. When she glanced at him, he had the smallest smile on his face. 'Definitely smug.'

"And what if this courting works out? You gunna ask for a relationship then?"

"No. If it were to happen that my courting you is well received, I believe I would demand one. That is, if you have not asked first." Damn, he was smug and cocky.

"You know courting involves liking the other person. And what about sex? I'm a minor that's trying to get over rape, you know."

Spock's eyebrow disappeared into his hair and she laughed at him. "I assure you that I have only had intercourse with a member of the opposite sex due to genetic and reproductive necessity and have no intention of doing so with you."

"Ah, you're so romantic," Seiko said, sarcasm dripping from her words, with a smile.

"I am unsure what is romantic about my previous statement."

"Forget it, Spock. I get it, so get that eyebrow back on your forehead, okay? We'll just see how it goes."

Spock nodded and Seiko took the moment to stand up and stretch. Unceremoniously, she moved a little and fell into Spock's lap, laughing at the expression on his face. He looked horrified. "Seiko, what are you doing?"

"Well, if you're planning on courting me, you have to get used to being around me outside of the lab, Commander," Seiko said and smiled widely. "Besides, you've already kissed me."

"I was under the impression that you were asleep," he said, but the look on Seiko's face caused him to stop.

"What? When I was asleep? When the hell was this?" she shouted, getting off his lap and staring down at him. Spock realized his mistake and his face turned green, as did his ears. "Wait a minute… You… That's why you were being a total ass to me when we got on the comet! I thought I said something to you that made you that way but it turns out you were feeling guilty that you took advantage of me while I was asleep!"

"Seiko, I-"

"And you told Hikaru to come pick me up because you were afraid to face me yourself! You… You…."

Before Seiko could say anything else, Spock was pulling her down to him and covering her mouth with his own. A small squeak came from her throat, but she reclaimed her seat on his lap, her fingers wrapping around each other behind his neck. The kiss ended quickly, but when Spock pulled away, he rested his forehead against Seiko's.

"You were saying?"

"You sneaky bastard."

"So I've been told," he whispered before he kissed her again, his hands sliding around her waist. He began to stand up from his seat and Seiko wrapped her legs around his waist quickly to avoid breaking the contact between them. A small chuckle came from Spock as his hands held her up and moved them to the couch that Seiko hadn't really noticed when she came in. She felt the soft cushions against her back before she released Spock's waist, his hands coming to hers again.

Seiko broke away to breathe and looked up at the Vulcan. He was kneeling between her legs, staring at her with a tinge of lust in his eyes. She grew afraid and began to internally panic. 'Breathe. It's Spock. You've had a crush on him since the moment you saw him. Relax. He won't hurt you.' She had to repeat that to herself as his head came down and planted soft kisses on her neck and collar. She'd been on dates before, but if he had planned to court her, was this supposed to be happening? Wasn't it going a bit fast? When Spock licked a spot beneath her ear, she moaned and forgot the internal argument she was having.

"Spock…," she moaned. He seemed to like the sound because he repeated his action only to follow it with a small bite. She could feel a small twitch in her tailbone and arched her back. Neither of them heard the door opening.

"Spock, I… Holy shit!"

Spock pulled away from Seiko and looked up. She was still dazed, but she knew that voice from somewhere.

"Captain…"

"What the fuck is going on?" Jim yelled, causing Seiko to peek over the back of the couch but just enough to hide the blush forming on her face. She glanced at Spock and he looked as stoic as ever.

"J-Jim… It's not how it looks-"

"Please disregard Miss Yamada's comment, Captain. This is exactly as it looks," Spock said, his voice gruff but unwavering. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped open. Jim mirrored her actions.

"What?"

"As of this evening, I would like to voluntarily present the information that I will be courting Miss Yamada until such a time that we begin a relationship or it impedes either of our ability to continue our work, in such a case our relationship would terminate."

Jim was dead silent, his mouth still open and his eyes staring at his first officer. Seiko was quiet with her face in her hands, knowing that their "relationship" was over before it even got a chance to begin.

"Way to go, Spock!" Jim suddenly cheered, striding over to him and smacking him on the shoulder. "I knew you'd get 'er!"

Seiko looked up at the two and stared in disbelief. "Wait… You knew-"

"Well, yeah. He's been makin' goo-goo eyes at you since you became his shadow. You're the last one to know, obviously."

"You mean… Oh god," Seiko whined and let her head fall into her hands again. She heard Jim laugh and buried her face into the couch.

"Please don't embarrass her, Captain. She's been through enough," Spock said, a smile evident in his voice.

"Yeah, yeah. Man, Spock! I was thinking you'd never get together! Everyone was starting to make bets!"

Seiko didn't want to hear it anymore and stood up, running from the room. She heard Spock call her name, but she ran for the lift and hopped in before he could make it. The bridge was her destination. She needed to talk to Hikaru.

"Oh my god!" Sulu said laughing, his tea forgotten on the consol. Seiko's face was bright red and she kept smacking him in the arm. "That is fantastic!"

"Shut up!" she said and pushed him out of his chair. He wasn't fazed and only continued to laugh. The only ones around them were minor lieutenants and only shook their heads at his actions. "God, I hate you, Hikaru!"

"That is the best story I've heard in so damn long! I'm so glad Jim walked in! I was thinkin' you were gunna tell me some porn story! This was so much better!"

Seiko kicked the fallen pilot and stood up. "Jerk! I hope you crash!" she said before she entered the lift again and left the bridge. Once the doors closed, she smiled to herself and began to laugh. "Geez..."